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By I. B. Browning, N. Shiarella, Coleman D. Hunter

The price of crude oil in Kentucky did not change very much during 1935 until the latter part of the year, but more stabilized conditions and an increase in consumption of natural gas made the year a more profitable one than the year 1934. The production of crude oil in 1935 amounted to 5,175,054 bbl. as compared to 4,814,904 bbl. in 1934. This increase was due to two developments: (1) the application of new recovery methods to old fields, which, although in operation in the state for several years, had never before reached a point where the production obtained, while highly satisfactory where applied, was sufficient to influence the totals in the production figures; (2) the development of the Fordsville area in Ohio County, where shallow depths enabled the operators to complete the development of a large number of wells with a good flush production probably accounted for most of the increase. A map showing the location of oil and gas pools in Kentucky was published last year.' The fields of eastern Kentucky, producing from the Weir sand of the Waverly group of the Lower Mississippian series, in Johnson, Magoffin, Lawrence and Elliott counties, produced 826,001 bbl. of oil in 1935 as compared with 902,247 bbl. in the previous year. No new wells were drilled in this area during the year, except those for use as intake wells in repressuring. What has been done in the few small areas within these fields in the way of repressuring has produced results sufficient to a great extent to offset the natural decline of all the field. It is probable the drilling of new wells and construction of new plants will be such as to cause these fields to produce more in 1936 than was produced in the past year. This is based on the fact that the sand is highly favorable for repressuring and the results obtained show from 300 to 500 per cent increase in production. From the "Corniferous" pools, where production is from the Cornifer-ous limestone of Devonian age, in Lee, Powell, Estill, Wolfe, Morgan and

Jan 1, 1936

Jan 1, 1915

By R. A. Bloom, John Birtalan

CONSIDERABLE interest has been shown in recent years toward determining the crystal structure, mode of formation, and chemical composition of the x phase, designated as such by Andrews,' who was the first to establish its presence in Fe-Cr- Ni-Mo alloys . Later work2 by the same author has shown that the occurrence of x depends on the presence of some molybdenum in the alloy. The phase, which appears to be identical or very similar to a manganese, has a body-centered-cubic structure and is closely related to s phase. Koh observed a similarity in composition between x and s and speculated as to whether x might be an ordered structure of u which is known to have a tetragonal crystal

Jan 1, 1957

By George I. Smith

Jan 1, 1985

By R. P. McLaughlin

IN most branches of the mining industry it is a well-recognized fact that care must be taken to protect the mineral deposit from undue physical injury. It is comparatively easy to grasp this idea when the mineral is a solid and the lives of workmen depend directly upon the care with which it is removed from its natural position, but when the product is a liquid. drawn up from pools several thousand feet beneath the surface of the ground through openings only a few inches in diameter, it requires some imagination to picture underground conditions and the changes which must often occur. The development of the petroleum deposits of California has been attended by numerous accidents, the results of which are readily noticed at the top of the wells and in the profit and loss accounts of the operators. Determination of the cause of these accidents has been the subject of considerable study, which naturally has fallen upon men familiar with technical methods. The greatest damage to the oil deposits of California has resulted from water finding its way into the oil-bearing sands, and it is the purpose of this paper to set forth briefly this phase of the oil industry. Much of the material here presented has previously appeared inn publications issued by the California State Mining Bureau, which, under the direction of State. Mineralogist Fletcher McN. Hamilton, has investigated the subject and taken steps toward improvement of conditions. The writer, having been in charge of this branch of the Bureau work, has gained considerable knowledge of existing conditions.

Jan 12, 1915

By Patrick M. Hurley

The relationships between mineral deposits and various plate margin mechanisms are examined under the constraints of radiogenic isotopes and other geochemical indicators. It seems like1 y that: (1) deposits of the spreading ridge association are fairly ubiquitious through most of geologic history and can be recognized by the lithologic assemblage and primitive lead isotope ratios; (2) most metals in the island arc association are not derived entirely from a subducting oceanic plate, and have a partly continental affinity; (3) subduction beneath a continental plate generates ores which are derived either from the downgoing plate or from the lower crust; (4) the heating of a continental plate by thickening or by mantle plumes may develop a metallogenic province involving extraction of metals from the curst; (5) rifts and grabens developing thick sections of marine sediments with evaporites may be the locus of base metal mineralization by movement of reducing brine solutions resulting from diagenesis and bacterial reduction of sulfates

Jan 1, 1978

By L. F. Wright

Operations of these two mining companies have some superficial similarities-geographical location, production rates, comparatively large ore reserves; but any critical comparison of mining and milling procedures or of economics must take into account the striking differences in geological environment and mineralogy of the respective ore deposits. The properties are only about 20 miles apart on an upland surface of moderate relief (part of the Interior Plateau of central B. C.) which occupies an area east of Thompson River between the towns of Ashcroft and Merritt. Being in the "dry belt" of British Columbia, water conservation is necessary at both operations.

Jan 12, 1963

By W. H. Adams

Inasmuch as] the mining of phosphate rock and its transportation has so general a bearing on the great industries of this continent, entering as well into the problem of our trade with foreign countries, it may be useful to place on record the following list of localities from which certain products of a like nature are received by us in a business way, or in which we are interested more or less either by ownership or by competition. As a ready means of comparison, the percentages of the mine products and the deteriorating constituents are given : Coprolite (Cambridge).—This material is obtained from the Upper Greensand formation in Cambridgeshire. The phosphate runs from 50 to 60 per cent., and averages 64 per cent. It contains much carbonate of calcium, but little iron, in the ferric condition. The superphosphates manufactured from the material are permanent and little liable to a revert." They contain from 28 to 35 per cent. of soluble phosphate. Coprolite (Buckingham).—From the same formation as the Cambridge variety, and very similar in composition.. It averages 60 per cent. phosphate. Coprolite (Suffolk).—These coprolites are not so valuable for the manufacture of superphosphate as the two previous varieties, as the iron they contain is in the ferric state, and liable to "revert" the soluble phosphate. The phosphate varies from 48 to 60 per cent., but averages 54 per cent. They are of Tertiary formation. Coprolite (Potton or Bedford).—The average amount of phosphate in these coprolites is about 50 per cent. In some cases they may, however, run up to 60 per cent., and in others may not exceed 45 per cent. They belong to the Lower Greensand formation. The ferric iron frequently is as high as 4 per cent., and the alumina as much. Russian phosphate comes from the chalk, and occurs in carious rounded masses. It contains from 28 to 35 per cent. of phosphate, but may run up to 69 or 70 per cent. Curacoa phosphate is also of very high class quality, giving 80

Jan 1, 1890

By R. V. Lundquist

Leaching manganese-bearing materials with NaOH to remove caustic-soluble silica has been demonstrated as a method for upgrading manganese. Those materials containing opaline varieties of silica respond most readily. Spent leach liquors are regenerated by treatment with lime to precipitate calcium silicate and to reactivate the NaOH for leaching. ALL of our larger domestic deposits of manganese are very low grade, but estimated tonnages in these deposits are large enough to constitute a potential strategic reserve of manganese for emergency periods, provided these ores can be upgraded sufficiently to meet industrial specifications. Many types of processes have been suggested for upgrading these ores, several have been studied in pilot plants, and a few have attained limited commercial production for special purposes. The hydrometallurgical process to be described below proposes a leaching operation for removing caustic-soluble silica and other gangue minerals and consequently upgrading a manganese ore or flotation concentrate to a commercially acceptable moduct. It is known that some forms of silica and some silicate minerals are soluble in NaOH solutions under suitable conditions. This new process proposes to use NaOH for removing the soluble materials from manganese ores or concentrates and, as a result, upgrade the manganese content. Since spent leach liquors are not efficient leaching agents the liquor must be treated with lime to precipitate calcium silicate and reactivate the NaOH. Experimental Procedure Manganese-ore samples ground to —35 mesh were leached in iron containers into which the ore sample and appropriate NaOH solutions were placed. Flotation concentrates were already ground to —200 mesh. The slurries were then placed on a hot plate or into a pressure digester and stirred continuously during the period of digestion. Where the- digestion was performed at atmospheric pressures, water lost by evaporation was replaced at regular intervals to maintain approximately a constant volume of slurry. In the pressure digester, volume changes were not controlled. After digestion, the slurry was allowed to cool enough for easy handling, but it was filtered hot, 50" to 70°C, on a Buechner filter. Filtration under these conditions was satisfactory. The resulting filter cake was washed and dried. In most instances, a single leach would not produce maximum extraction of silica from the ore sample; consequently, the dried tailing was treated again in the same manner with a fresh solution of NaOH to obtain an additional extraction of silica. This procedure was repeated a number of times to get the maximum extraction of silica. Usually three or at most four stages of leaching were adequate for this purpose. This leaching procedure was used for obtaining the data reported in this paper on the effects of NaOH concentration, pulp dilution, temperature, and time of digestion on the efficiency of extraction of silica from the ore sample. The experimental procedure does not match industrial methods. consequently tests for counter-current leaching were set up. Data from these tests are not yet complete, but in a qualitative way they indicate that thickeners between stages of leaching will be satisfactory and that the quantity of silica in a leach liquor moving forward to a new solid has only a minor effect on the quantity of silica extracted from the new solid. A pilot plant is now being designed for operation in the near future to test and evaluate the merits of this process.

Jan 1, 1954

H. Van F. Furman, Denver, Colo. (communication to the Secretary): There are some statements in Dr. Carpenter's interesting paper which appear to require explanation, if not modification.

Jan 1, 1901

By Stanly A. Easton, H. M. Childs

Methods evolved at Kellogg have had primarily in view the safety of workmen and complete recovery of the ore; it is believed that these results have been secured at a minimum cost. The ore in the Bunker Hill mine is of good grade, relatively speaking; much of it is quite rich and no mining method would be successful which did not recover all of the ore. It would be possible to work certain of the orebodies by shrinkage methods, or some form of top-slicing, at probably lower costs than by the methods now applied, but the shapes of the orebodies are so irregular that satisfactory extraction of the ore in all its ramifications would be extremely difficult. In past years, much high-grade ore has been lost in blasting, due to the unskilful use of powder in a galena ore, which, by reason of its brittle-ness and great weight, tends to scatter widely. Any method by which large masses of ore and waste are broken together will result in an imperfect recovery of the ore, and whenever large masses are broken, ore and waste will unavoidably fall down together; ore and waste thus become entangled and, although a pile of broken material may seem to have been well picked over, quantities of ore will inevitably be lost. This fact has been shown by persons reworking the filling in stopes that were mined by methods defective in the foregoing particulars. Safety of the men is secured by avoiding large openings, and by working mainly under timber, and at small faces at close range and easily inspected. In former years the principal source of serious accidents was "falls of ground;" it is now over seven years since a serious accident has occurred from this cause. The most prolific source of accidents during recent years has been "timber and tools," workmen being struck by timbers passed into the stope from the level above; this danger has been greatly reduced by compressed-air warning whistles and the fencing in of dangerous areas. The lead-silver ore of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan and affiliated mines is found in bodies of almost every shape, although vertical or nearly

Jan 1, 1925

By Helmut Thielsch

DURING the last three decades a great many arguments have been presented on the subject of "mosaic" or "block" structures of metals. Apparently because of insufficient evidence, the "block-structure" theories have never been widely understood among the physical metallurgists in this country, and most investigators among the few that have tried to demonstrate the existence of such an inner structure of crystals or grains have failed to recognize also the existence of a lamellar structure. Moreover, little thought has been given to justify the existence of such "lamellar" or "mosaic-block" structures on a theoretical basis. Since properties such as plasticity, ferromagnetism, hardness, diffusion, and others may be explained by structural faults in the lattice network of the crystals, the great importance of a more detailed knowledge of the structure within crystals or grains becomes now evident. Because of the vast extent of the field of submicroscopic structures, it shall be the purpose of this paper only to review the more important of the results obtained by other investigators, especially in Germany, where a great deal of attention has been given to mosaic structure during the last three years. The origin of this mosaic pattern f and effects of cold reduction and recrystallization will be shown in further studies later on. IMPERFECTIONS IN CRYSTALS The many terms used in the literature to denote structural types of crystals are often not clearly defined. To clear up some of the confusion, the meaning of the more important terms will be given here. Ideal, or Perfect Crystals.-Crystals without any structural imperfections are called "ideal crystals," or "perfect crystals," meaning a homogeneous interior structure of atoms, ions or molecules, as the case may be. In other words, at every point in the interior of the crystal exactly the same orientation of the crystallographic axes of the coordinate system would exist. The surface of such a body, if etched with an appropriate etching reagent, would reflect light with perfect uniformity. Crystals of this type are almost nonexistent. Real Crystals.-" Real crystals"' may contain various types of structural defects, which can be classified into: (I) lineage structure, (2) mosaic-block structure, (3) lamellar structure. The inhomogeneities existing in these groups mean that the orientation of the crystallographic axes will not be the same at every point within the interior of a crystal (or grain of a polycrystalline body). Perfect Real Crystals.-The term "perfect real crystals" is generally used to describe crystals with minute structural or thermodynamical inhomogeneities. The former

Jan 1, 1945

By R. W. Shoenberger, J. D. Clendenin, W. L. McMorris, N. Schapiro, B. R. Kuchta, A. A. Terchick, R. J. Gray, J. G. Price

INTRODUCTION * The United States is fortunate in having enormous reserves of metallurgical-grade coals. Although these coals are better in quality and more accessible than most coals found throughout the rest of the world, the best grades of these coals are being depleted. Consequently, more efficient exploration tools and techniques, such as advanced methods of core drilling and logging, correlation by palynology,** stratigraphy, paleontology and petrography are being used to help assess the extent and quality of the remaining coal reserves. Exploration and assessment of new and existing coal properties become of utmost importance in determining (1) the economic justification for mining the coal, (2) the optimum design of the preparation plant and (3) the most effective use of the coal. Fortunately, the cost of mining coal has remained stable because of better mine planning, more efficient operations and increased mechanization of mining operations. However, increased mechanization raises the amount of impurities in the coal mined, and this requires more and better coal beneficiation to meet the more stringent quality requirements set by the market. Besides, mechanical miners also produce relatively fine coal and, to ensure maximum liberation of impurities, much of the coal presently being used must be crushed to a finer size prior to preparation. The bulk of all coals presently used in this country is mechanically cleaned, much of it at a lower specific gravity than in the past. This necessitates the use of new and improved processes and equipment for coal washing and recovery, such as heavy-medium cyclones and vessels, and froth flotation cells. However, because wet-cleaning processes are pre- dominant in the United States and fine coal retains large amounts of moisture, the increased production of cleaned fine coal accentuates the need for new or improved methods and equipment for dewatering and drying this coal. The larger amounts of coal being beneficiated and the use of new and improved beneficiation processes will aid in controlling and ultimately eliminating sources of pollution. Modem coal markets demand coals that meet rigid specifications. Most coals are purchased under contracts that specify moisture, ash, and sulfur contents, or heating value, depending upon the end use. There has also been a growing trend toward specifying other properties, including particle size and coking capability. These specifications may include not only the * Editor's note: Because of the numerous and varied contributions of the associate authors of this chapter, the text does not differentiate between sections prepared by each individual as has been done in other chapters. ** Palynology is the study of plant microfossils, especially spores, pollen, and other types of fossils not usually studied by paleontologists.

Jan 1, 1968

By George J. Young

Jan 1, 1911

By Kenneth J. Kurry

12.2-1. Introduction. Successful management constantly strives to improve its methods and equipment in order to produce a better product at reduced cost. It is not enough that managers be cost conscious and industrious in these days of rapid, dramatic technological development. They must keep abreast of these developments-new or improved methods, machines, and equipment. Most of the machines and equipment have been carefully designed and perfected by reliable companies. However, improvements and progress often evolve from a definite need and are most successful in a particular operation. What may be the "answer" to the requirements of one company may be totally useless or inefficient to those of another. The manager of today must continuously evaluate the myriad proposals for change that result from modern technology-in terms of the particular needs and objectives of his company-to determine correctly which will best satisfy those needs and reach those objectives. Each new method or piece of equipment must receive careful study to make certain it is compatible with the entire operation. It may solve a problem in one department only to create a new problem in another. There are many pitfalls to be avoided in obtaining the necessary facts, and often these problems are unrelated to the actual use of the equipment or method being studied. All facets of the operation being considered must be thoroughly studied to determine if the method is compatible to the entire operation. For example, in considering a possible recommendation that a certain method and type of equipment be used to transport ore, some of the factors that should receive close scrutiny are: blasting procedure, maintenance, turning radius, percent grades, weather extremes, dumping problems, tire problems, length of haul, operator acceptance, or mismatched equipment. Failure to consider every factor-large and small, present and future-in evaluating a proposed change can mean a large investment in a new method or machine that will have to be continued for years at higher-than-antici-

Jan 1, 1968

By D. Roberts

SUMMARY In order to accommodate a new plant in a limestone quarry in the Mendip Hills, it became necessary to excavate a potentially unstable disused face of the quarry. A simple two-dimensional graphical method was used to analyse a failure, which occurred during a period of exceptionally heavy rain in 1968, and the results of this analysis were used in estimating the stability of the proposed excavation. The presence of water in vertical fissures and tension cracks was found to be a dominant factor in determining the stability of these faces. The results of this approximate analysis were used as a guide in deciding upon the final slope design and the purpose of presenting this example is to illustrate how the various factors involved in arriving at this design were weighed to arrive at a compromise between theoretical recommendations and practical considerations. INTRODUCTION The successful outcome of a geological and geochemical survey to prove adequate re- serves of high quality limestone, suitable for producing burnt lime, led to planning for the installation of the necessary plant at Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation's Batts Combe Quarry at Cheddar in Somerset. Topographic and property boundary limits added to restrictions which were likely to be imposed by any forthcoming planning consents and restricted the choice of plant location to one site. The particular site is, in fact, the main floor area of the original quarry which, like many hillside quarries, had been worked with just one face. Before a benching scheme had been introduced on higher ground, the original face had attained a height of 230 ft. and sloped at angles of 58º to 64º. Fig. I shows the present configuration of the disused quarry face and the present working area above. The floor area below the disused face accommodates the existing crushing, conveying, and screening plant. The new facilities for lime burning are to be in addition to the existing main line business of producing roadstone and concrete aggregates and, although a new aggregate production plant would be included in the new installation, no disturbance of current production was to be contemplated.

Jan 1, 1972

Page Foreword—H. Foster Bain........................ 9 Letter of Transmittal—F. Julius Fohs...................11

Jan 1, 1927

By Eduardo Martinez Baca

Although Mexico has always been justly considered by the whole world essentially a mining country, this reputation is due principally to the richness of the deposits which have been worked. In reality, the majority of the States have been little

Jan 1, 1902

By C. K. Leith

Jan 1, 1906

THE CHAIRMAN (F. K. COPELAND,* Chicago, Ill.).-At this particular time conditions existing in this, country, and elsewhere, make all questions of milling or smelting or mining, or anything else, absolutely secondary to the one question of labor. We have always devoted our attention largely to the efficiency of machinery, and to reductions in costs, etc., and have let this tremendous problem of our relation to labor more or less take its own chances. There has never been a time when those who are responsible for the operation of business of different kinds were as com-pletely at a loss as they are now, so that anything that can be brought out that relates to labor is, to my mind, of utmost importance. T. T. READ, Washington, D. C.-This formulation of a method of curtailing forces at the Copper Queen is a notable step in advance of our treatment of personnel in the mining industry. So far as I know, it is the

Jan 12, 1919